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Sunday, October 4, 2009

Cwirla on Mark 9:30-37

As I mentioned in a previous post, I plan to do some sermon reviews and to provide some sort of numerical grade. Here is the method I have determined to use.

1. Does the pastor explain the text correctly? (+1 for explaining the text correctly, 0 for not explaining the text at all, -1 for explaining the text incorrectly)

2. Is the law preached lawfully? (+1 for preaching the law in all its sternness, 0 for not preaching the law at all, -1 for preaching the law as if it is doable)

3. Does the sermon mention Jesus? (+1 for saying true things about Jesus, 0 for not mentioning

Jesus, -1 for saying false things about Jesus)

4. Is the sermon about what Jesus has done for us? (+1 if the primary focus of the sermon is about what Jesus has done for us, 0 if the sermon does not mention Jesus, -1 if the sermon is all about what we do for Jesus)

5. Does the creation of a wordle show a Christian focus in the sermon? (+1 for yes, 0 for sort of, -1 for no)

5 is the highest possible score and -5 is the lowest possible score. I may tweak this in the future, but this is my first attempt and I've decided to start with what I would consider to be a model sermon. The sermon can be read or listened to here. This is the text that the sermon is based upon:

Mark 9:30-37 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise." But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?" But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all." And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."

1. Cwirla makes use of some narrative-style preaching and does a good job of explaining what is going on. The sermon is tied very closely to the text. (+1)

2. The law is applied lawfully. Cwirla shows how the sin of the disciples is our own sin and nobody can walk away from the sermon thinking that the law is doable or that they are not guilty of this sin. (+1)

3. The sermon speaks of Jesus quite a bit and all that it says about Jesus is true. (+1)

4. Jesus is the subject of the verbs and He is the one doing everything for us losers. (+1)

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About Me

I have a wife and five living children. I graduated from Calvin College with a BA in Greek with the intention of becoming a Reformed pastor. I was baptized in the Lutheran church and after many years in charismatic, Baptist, and Reformed churches am in the Lutheran church again with no intention of pursuing the ministry. I am also the author of a book that contains a translation of the book of Revelation based on the Byzantine text form that can be purchased by clicking on the lulu link.